1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an egg harvester.
Egg production is still fairly labour intensive, especially on farms where the eggs are fertilized by allowing the hens to run-with the roosters in the laying sheds.
The eggs must be collected and stored shortly after laying and so must be collected, eg. 2-3 times daily.
Mechanical egg collection systems have been disclosed, inter alia, in AU-B-24004/84 (564393) (KIBBUTZ GIVAT CHAIM ICHUD) and WO 89/03637=AU-A-11547/88 (LANDMECO A/S) but these have not proved commercially acceptable in Australia.
In AU-B-24004/84, hen laying-stations are provided with a floor having a discharge opening at one end. A drawer bar is movable over the floor to push the eggs to the discharge opening through which the eggs fall gravitationally.
With this arrangement, it is not possible to provide litter (eg. wood shavings or sawdust) on the floor and the hens are disturbed on each pass of the drawer bar.
In WO 89/03637, the laying stations have a two-part nest bottom inclined towards each other and towards the centre of the nest to create a slit through which the eggs may roll onto a conveyor. With this arrangement, it is also not possible to provide litter in the nests.
Experience has shown that without the provision of litter, up to 40% of the hens may refuse to use the laying-stations but lay their eggs in the dirt and manure on the shed floor. The hot eggs are liable to bacterial contamination and shell staining and must be manually collected from the floor. They are also liable to be broken if stepped on by the workers as they move about the shed collecting the eggs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an egg harvester where the eggs are collected with minimal disturbance to the hens.
It is a preferred object to provide an egg harvester which enables litter to be provided in the laying-stations.
It is a preferred object to provide a harvester where spoilt litter can be replaced with cleaned and/or fresh litter.
It is a still further preferred object to provide a harvester which reduces the labour content of the operation of a laying shed.
It is a still further preferred object to provide improved nesting boxes for the harvester.
Other preferred objects will become apparent from the following description.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to an egg harvester for collecting the eggs of laying hens or the like, including:
an enclosure defining a plurality of hen laying-stations along the length of the enclosure;
a flexible belt or band extending along the length of the enclosure forming a floor for the laying stations;
a shuttle or carriage movable along a path below the belt or band; and
roller, drum, disc or bar means on the shuttle or carriage about which the belt or band passes to define at least one slot in the floor which advances under hens in the laying-stations as the shuttle or carriage is advanced, any litter and/or eggs on the belt or band falling through the or one slot for collection.
Preferably, an intermediate floor section, comprising a belt or band on driven rollers or discs, or a drum, is provided to define two slots in the floor with the belt or band, the eggs and litter falling through the first slot upstream of the intermediate floor section and the fresh litter being supplied to the floor at the second slot downstream of the intermediate conveyor.
Preferably, the rollers or discs are mounted or journalled on movable axles so that the orientation of the intermediate floor section, and the adjacent end sections of the floor, can be changed when the direction of travel of the shuttle or carriage is reversed.
Preferably, mechanical egg separator means separate the eggs from the litter falling through the first slot, conveyor means and transfer means transferring the eggs to an egg conveyor, preferably below the belt or band, the egg conveyor being selectively operable to convey the eggs to one end of the harvester.
Preferably, mechanical or vacuum separator means, separate soiled litter from the "clean" litter and the soiled litter may be transferred to the floor of the shed in which the harvester is provided. Preferably, hopper means, containing fresh litter, are mounted on the shuttle or carriage to move therewith, mechanical or pneumatic conveyor means transferring fresh litter to the belt or band to replace the lost soiled litter.
In an alternative embodiment where the litter is not used, the shuttle or carriage may be provided with a bath through which the belt passes, the bath containing cleaning and/or disinfecting liquid to clean the belt or band consisting of an artificial turf or similar surface in lieu of litter. Brush means, to scrub the belt or band, may be provided in the bath.
Preferably, the belt or band is supported on a mesh grid or parallel bars on a frame, which suspended from the roof frame of the shed. Preferably, the shuttle or carriage runs along the frame. A continuous cable or chain, or cable or chain attached to each end of the shuttle or carriage, may pass around drive rollers, a winch drum or the like to selectively drive the shuttle or carriage along the tracks or rails. Preferably, transmission means (eg. gears, chains, belts) interconnect the shuttle wheels to, eg. the driven rollers for the intermediate section, the egg separation means, conveyor means, transfer means, litter conveyor and the like to provide the drive for these components as the shuttle is advanced.
In one embodiment, the laying-stations incorporate nesting boxes mounted on legs, which may be hinged to allow the boxes to be lowered to assist in the training of hens to use the nesting boxes. Perch grids may be provided along each side of the enclosure so that the hens can enter the nesting boxes from opposite sides. The shuttle or carriage may run on tracks or rails mounted on the legs and the egg conveyor can also be mounted on the legs along one side of the enclosure. The hopper for the clean litter may be mounted above the nesting boxes, or side mounted.
Alternatively, the nesting boxes may rest on the belt or band and may be hingedly interconnected to enable the belt to be raised as the shuttle or carriage passes underneath. The lids for the nesting boxes may be mounted on frames supported on legs which rest on the belt or band, the legs being interconnected by side rails which assist in locating the nesting boxes on the belt or band and which provide perches for the hens. The hopper for the clean litter may be mounted on a frame on the shuttle or carriage and be supported to travel along one side of the nesting boxes to prevent the hens from entering, or leaving, the nesting boxes in the vicinity of the shuttle or carriage where the boxes are provided in back-to-back pairs, a plate on the shuttle or carriage may be provided to block the opposed boxes.
In a second aspect, the present invention resides in nesting boxes for hens, wherein:
each box has an end wall interconnecting a pair of side walls or a side wall or tab, arranged to be supported by a belt or band as the nesting box floor, each side wall or tab being hingedly connectable to the adjacent side wall of an adjacent similar nesting box.
The nesting boxes may be formed of cardboard, plastic sheet, fibreglass, sheet metal or the like and preferably one side wall is of reduced height to provide an entrance to the nesting box.
The hinge means between the boxes may include a tang received in a hole or slot; a pivot pin received in a hole or slot; or other suitable pivot means.